Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-03-26
STRANDED.
The Steamer Scotia from Naples for
New York, Bringing Immigrants,
Ashore off Fire Island.
Narrow Escape Of 1900 Souls from a
Raging Sea-A Panic When
the Vessel Struck,
Both steamer and Passengers Badly USed
Il Twenty Days Voyage full
of EQuinocttaI Storms.

fifteen miles east Of Fire Island. 1t does
not seem to be large vessel. Her mast
is gone, but her pipe is standing. She is
we'll up on the beach and is settling.
There is moderate gale from the north
west with heavy sea.
1t is said that the vessel ashore near
Blue Point is the French steamer Scotia,
Captain Rufal, which sailed from
Marseilles February 20, Naples February
%, via Gibraltar February q for New
York. She is said to have a large number
of steerage passengers aboard. The
steamer went ashore at 4 O'Clock this
morning.
When the life saving crew discovered
the vessel she was lying in the midst of
very high sea which was sweeping fore
and aft. The work of reaching tGe YES
! sci proved Ruthless, the fire line falling
to reach her rigging. Crowds are
gathered on the beach assisting the crew.
The sea is breaking over the vessel and
| the deck fixtures are being carried away.
! II is learned ct the office of the passenger
agent OF the Farbie Line that the Scotia
| has en- board about 900 steerage passen
gers. Her cargo consists Of Italian pro
duCe.
Later, noon-A disoatch just received
| from Fire Island says the resCujng crew
! have reached the vessel with a safety line.
! The PASSENGERS are being rescued and
: will be brought to New York tomorrow.
Nothing hes been learned as to the cause
Of the accident, but il Is coDjectUred that
! the vessel became damaged in struggling
against the terrific WestheT aud the cap
tain deliberately beGched her to save the
| passengers.
Agent Fabre of the lire Mss received a
dispatch from Captain RuffaJ Of the
wrecked steamer Scotia, now on The
beach fifteen miles west Of Fire Island,
stating that the passengers were all safe
aud WOuld be sent to New York to NOR
row. The vessel was resting easy. A
steamer has been chartered 10 bring the
| ScOtia's passengers into port. The her-
rott Wrec6ing Company officials say taelr
latest information is that the Ife-ssving
people have q line to the ship, but no
passengers have been taken off yet. The
sea is rough. The boats which started
to-day will not reach the wreck until
early tomorrow morning.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
PATCHoGUE, L. l., March 25.-The
steamer Scotia of the Fabre Line, Captain
Ruffat, from Naples for New York, with
1900 passengers and merchandise, ran
ashore at about I :l5 O'Clock this morning
on the outer bar, about mile west Of the
Blue Point life-saving station, and now
lies hard aground. When discovered by
Captain George Jones of the Blue Point
station at daylight the sea was running SO
| high that it was impossible to launch
8 lIfe-bost. 1t was about O'Clock
a line was got aboard the steamer. Be
| fore BreeCne's buoy was reached the sea
had gone down sufficiently to allow the
launching of 8 boat which went along
side. No one was taken off except a
steerage passenger named Georgia Farina,
who jumped from the steamers deck to
| the bOSt before any one could prevent
| him. Farina was brought ashore and
went to New York this afternoon. He
| states that the steamer had experienced
| terrific storm for more than a week, the
vessel tossing terribly and suffering
much damage. Many passengers had
! limbs broken and received other injuries
| by being thrown about the Storage.
Yesterday the machinery gave out, and
/ the wind and sea were high. The Captain
decided to run the vessel ashore
after the cutting away of her
| two masts, at 2 O'Clock this morning.
About 500 women are among the pas
sengers, most of whom were taken from
the steamer Burgundis after that vessel
WAS run into by the war vessel Italia, near
Naples. 1t is not PROBABLE that any more
! passengers will be landed. The steamer
Is in no immediate danger, and tugs have
been telegraphed from New York to take
| the passengers by water. The cargo,
which consists chiefly of oranges, is not
badly injured.
1t was exceedingly fortunate for the
stranded steamer Scotia, now lying with
her nose deep in the outer bay off the
Blue Point hfe-ssving station, that the
| high wind and heavy sea which prevailed
when she was run ashore subsidized so op-
( portunely this morning; otherwise, in
stead of being in condition to still offer
shelter and accommodation to the 1900
souls aboard, she would probably be
breaking up, and her living freight, if all
were saved, to reach the beach
would be exposed to the mer-
CHESS winds and with shorter
rations than has been their portion for
twenty days past. At daylight when
Captain Jones and his crew Of Ife-savers
attempted to throw line to the vessel,
and later when an effort was made to let
go the life boat,th surf rolled mountains
high and the wind blew a hurricane.
Within two hours moderate breeze and
quarter sea permitted the launching of
Goat and an approach to the steamer
The vessel lies with her nose deep in the
sand headed northeast. Her appear
anCe gives unmIstakable evidence of
! the hard usage Of the waves,
and the absence of masts and rigging to-
! gether with the general disorder of her
! deck, makes her most distressing OBJ
ject, while the poor foreigners who crowd
ner decks, gazing lOngingly amidst their
excitement at land, 50 near and yet so
far, create feelings. OF commiserati0n in
the hearts of the hundreds of men
who swarmed to the beach from
all points along the mainland. Through
surfman who visited the Scotia in 8
| life boat and conyersed with one of the
steamers crew who spoke little